Merit Aid-What now?? Forum

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sandwichday

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Merit Aid-What now??

Post by sandwichday » Mon Feb 14, 2011 1:39 pm

I just emailed the financial aid office at BU saying that I was thrilled to be admitted, but merit aid would be a substantial factor in my decision, who should I speak to about this, etc. I got back a pretty generic looking email with the standard "we may award a merit aid at any time, we encourage all applicants to apply for scholarship aid" message. The woman who sent me the email said I could contact her with any specific questions. So, where do I go from here? I've been accepted to two higher ranked schools, as well as one peer institution but so far no one has offered me any $. Was that a email a "thanks, but no thanks" cleverly disguised? How direct should I be in asking for money, and should I name an amount? Mention the other schools I've been accepted to? Has this sort of thing happened to anyone else?

Thanks!!

sandwichday

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Re: Merit Aid-What now??

Post by sandwichday » Mon Feb 14, 2011 1:53 pm

Also, I don't know if this matters much, but I am significantly above both medians. Any advice is appreciated, thanks so much!

bk1

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Re: Merit Aid-What now??

Post by bk1 » Mon Feb 14, 2011 1:55 pm

Have they already awarded merit aid to other applicants?

Some schools don't hand out merit aid till later in the cycle.

sandwichday

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Re: Merit Aid-What now??

Post by sandwichday » Mon Feb 14, 2011 1:59 pm

From lsn it appears as though they have, including significant packages to folks with lower stats than mine. They did say that the process was "ongoing" in the email and that "the decision to award merit aid may be made at any time". Was that their way of saying "we're still deciding, please stop asking" or should I be more bold and just say, I'd love to go to BU but some merit aid would make it easier to turn down the T14 schools that have already said yes. Or none of the above? I don't want to come off as entitled but I feel I have a decent shot at some money.

CEC1285

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Re: Merit Aid-What now??

Post by CEC1285 » Thu Feb 17, 2011 12:43 pm

I'm in the same boat with BU (except I didnt email them) I'm well above medians, ive been admitted since 1/9, and I STILL haven't heard from them on $. It's stressing me out becusae it is my first choice school and I cannot afford to go if I have to pay for it all myself. From my research on previous years in LSN I see that a lot of non urm (like me) are held for at least a month and sometimes up to 2 months before they've heard about their merit awards. I'm trying to be patient, but it's so hard. How long have you been waiting? I don't think we should start getting really nervous until March 15th (based on my research).

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sandwichday

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Re: Merit Aid-What now??

Post by sandwichday » Thu Feb 17, 2011 2:44 pm

Haha I was actually accepted just a few days before you! So after a few follow-up emails, the woman basically said that we should expect to hear back by mid-March. So I guess I'll wait until then before I really start freaking out. From what I hear, this is easier if you have a competing scholarship from another school, so if you do have another offer, you could try taking a more direct approach and just ask them to match. Glad to hear someone else is in the same situation! This is going to be really important information for me, wish they'd hurry up!

derrminater

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Re: Merit Aid-What now??

Post by derrminater » Thu Feb 17, 2011 7:40 pm

How long should we expect to hear back after applying for need based aid?

WhatToDo21

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Re: Merit Aid-What now??

Post by WhatToDo21 » Sun Feb 20, 2011 1:51 am

I would just relax people... I was accepted last year to BU late January I think or early Feb. I guess I can't remember when exactly, anyway, my "merit" award came after I filled out the Need Based Aid form and sent it in. Found out roughly in mid March, I think that is when most people find out.

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